19 Aug

Sample 2 An Essay

Published by Darwin Duckman's Portfolio

August 19 2019

Marijuana and the Meth Crisis.

Is there a connection?

2015 The Canadian Government announced that they were going to legalize the recreational consumption of Cannabis. At the same time, there was a turning point to which methamphetamine, a drug that up to this point was mainly consumed in a small corner of the city by a niche market, would expand and become main stream. The question remains, was the legalization of Cannabis related to the increase of Methamphetamine to which point it would become an epidemic in Manitoba?

At first glance, stats seem to confirm this. In Manitoba, there were 90 trafficking charges laid relating to Methamphetamine in 2015. In 2016, that number rose to 126 charges. As It became evident that Cannabis legalization was approaching, those numbers would double and even triple. In 2017 there were 327 trafficking charges laid relating to methamphetamine. By July 2018, there were already more than 300 trafficking charges laid in relation to Methamphetamine alone. Other crime statistics, most related to the use of methamphetamine, indirectly include a rise of robberies in Manitoba which has been on a steep incline. In 2015, there were 1,668 incidents. In 2016, that number climbed to 2062. 2017 it jumped to 2360, and last year that number increased to 2663. These numbers are again expected to increase. In regards to theft under and over $5,000, those numbers are also on a steep and steady incline. The most startling incline is in the form of violence, which has gone up 17%. All in relation to methamphetamines. Many of these incidents are unprovoked and random act of violence. Serious crimes, such as gun violence and murder, have also been on the incline and have been directly related to the use and trafficking of Methamphetamine. In 2015, gun related charges in connection to methamphetamine trafficking and or possession, there were 64 gun-related charges. In 2016, there were 99, 2017 included 105 and in 2018 there were 104. Murders related to Methamphetamine during the years of 2015-2017 are harder to determine, however in 2018 and up to and including the months in 2019, it has been reported that 40% of murders are directly related to Methamphetamine in one manner or another.

These statistics are not just confined to crimes related to Methamphetamine. During this same period, blood born illnesses such as HIV, Hepatitis B, and C as well have syphilis, have increased. For instance, 2015 had 120 reported cases of syphilis. That number has jumped to over 400 reported cases in 2018. Hepatitis B has increased by 40% mainly among youths, and C have also been on the rise. Most cases relating to Methamphetamine users under the age of 25. This increase in statistics is due to the increase of methamphetamine use through sharing of syringes. Since 2012, there has been an increase of 48% usage for youths and a 105% increase for adults. Among youth users, the average age is 16, with 81% of users being female.

In stark contrast, Cannabis statistics have been on the decline since 2015 by 11% annually nationally. This includes trafficking, production and distribution. The majority of charges relating to Cannabis are possession related charges. Other crimes such as violent crimes, theft, robberies, and murder are seldom related to Cannabis, with the exception to organized crime, in which other illegal activities play a part in the crimes. Use of Cannabis has also been on the decline, especially in relation to youth, which has dropped annually by an average of 15%. The only crime which has seen an increase is impaired driving, however drug related impaired driving only accounts for 4% of all impaired driving charges.

Now that it has been established that Methamphetamine and methamphetamine crimes are on the rise. Cannabis related criminal activities are on the decline during the same time frame. That essentially doesn't indicate there is a connection between the two. The question remains, is there a connection? Is the connection that organized crime moved away from trafficking Cannabis and began trafficking Methamphetamine due to legalization? Which then begs the question, why wasn't Methamphetamine more prominent prior to 2015? And what is the allure of Methamphetamine that has made it take off with such veracity?

Further research uncovered alarming information; Prior to 2012 Methamphetamine production was limited to local small productions sets up in houses and apartments. This limited sales, use and caused the cost of the product to be rather high, as well as a much lower purity of the drug compared to today's Methamphetamine. This changed in 2012. Organized crime, most prominently Cartels in Mexico, took over the manufacture of Methamphetamine and took it to a larger scale, creating large manufacturing factories. This process created the methamphetamines to be purer and more potent. The cartels then used the same methods for importing Cocaine into the United States. Flooding the Southern states, which in turn, slowly made its way north, all the way into Canada. A side effect of this was for Canadian Criminal organizations to use Illegal Cannabis sales to fund their own factories. They created large quantities of synthetic drugs, including but not limited to, Methamphetamine. This caused a domino effect. Methamphetamine became more readily available. It also caused Methamphetamine's price to drop drastically from the average price, being around $110 per gram in 2012, to $50 per gram currently. These prices are based on the street price, not the price in which dealers would pay. I have learned some dealers can get a gram of Methamphetamine for as low as $30 dollars a gram and if they purchase more, the price drops even more.

The allure of the drug starts with its price and the length of time in which a high will remain. 0.10 gram of methamphetamine is valued at $10 and will get someone high for approximately 12 hours. The high itself is described as extremely intense. It gives you the feeling that you are capable of anything. It’s euphoric, wakes you up, fills you with energy and refocuses your mind. Makes all your problems and issues take a back seat. It also fends off hunger and sleep. For those struggling with homelessness, starvation, boredom, unemployment and problems in the home, this drug appears to be tailor made for their issues. Other drugs with a similar high do not last as long and often cost more when you take into account the length of the high. Take Cocaine or Crack Cocaine for instance. The high lasts only minutes and it, as described, is not as intense and invigorating and roughly cost around the same amount by weight. The drug is also harder for sniffer dogs to find, than Cocaine and Cannabis, during transportation.

In contrast Cannabis is a drug that calms a person. It makes them sleepy, lazy, and unambitious. The high for Cannabis usually lasts up to an hour or so for some people and increases appetite. For a dealer, who sells "points"(which is 0.1 gram at $10 per) can make $100 per gram. This is far more profitable than selling most other illegal narcotics, especially Cannabis. The production costs and time between production makes Cannabis a far more expensive drug. It takes on average, 3 months per crop and that crop size is based on the amount of space you have to grow. For instance, a crop that would yield 20 lbs of Cannabis would have a street value of $50,000 on the high end and would require a substantial amount of space. In comparison, a 20lb yield of Methamphetamine can be easily cooked in 2 days using the same amount of space. So, in 3 month time you could easily make 900 lbs of Methamphetamine, with a street value of at roughly $403,200 (At $50.00/gram).

All this data has still not answered the question, Is there a correlation between legalization of Cannabis and the rise of the Methamphetamine crisis? Many at this point could argue that organized crime has moved away from Cannabis to Methamphetamine. The reason may not be because of legalization at all. It may simply boil down to accessibility and profit margins. The next logical step would be to go directly to those involved in drug trade. From law enforcement, to the traffickers themselves, to find out what their take is on the situation. Law enforcement were very quick to state that the Methamphetamine crisis would still be a crisis if Cannabis had not been legalized. Methamphetamine has been imported from the United States, originating in Mexico, at a staggering rate. 50kg and more are passing across the border on a daily basis. Law enforcement say, that due to severe addiction, there is a growing demand for the drug due to its purity and intensity. Increasing the importation and creation of the drug.

This was reaffirmed by both a Cannabis dealer and a Methamphetamine dealer. The methamphetamine dealer said that the reason he started selling Meth was that the dealers he was purchasing Cannabis from started selling Methamphetamine. The profit margins were much higher than that of Cannabis, and the high lasted much longer. This benefited him as he was a couch surfer who struggled to find a place to rest his head. He stated that even if Cannabis was still illegal, he would have turned to selling Methamphetamine no matter what. The Cannabis dealer, who is still operating, explained that many of those he dealt with, especially connected to organized crime, moved away from selling Cannabis upon legalization. Not all turned and there is still a strong black market for Cannabis, as the legal prices are much higher than that of the black market. The Cannabis dealer explained he didn’t convert to selling methamphetamine because he was aware of the very bad side effects that come along with prolonged use, but said the profit margins were enticing. His own use of Cannabis is part of his reason for selling Cannabis, to cover the cost of personal use. The Cannabis dealer also said he didn't want to deal with those who have used methamphetamine for a prolonged time because the side effects scared him. These side effects include psychosis, violent and erratic tendencies, severe paranoia, severe sleep deprivation and the long-term effects to the brain. Methamphetamine use actually alters the brain function to make the user obsessed with consuming more methamphetamine over all other things.

In closing, there is no correlation between the legalization of Cannabis and the rise of the Methamphetamine crisis. There are ties to it and in some cases, it did influence some organized criminals and others to take part in the trafficking of methamphetamine. It was a way to keep up illegal activity and financial gain, as many of their customers would turn to legal regulated Cannabis over black market cannabis, costing them money. The cause of the methamphetamine crisis is related to organized crime through the importation of Methamphetamine from Mexico to the United States. The profit margins, length and intensity of the high of methamphetamine, is the reason for the crisis that would still be plaguing the streets in Manitoba, even if Cannabis was still illegal.

By Darwin Duckman aka Darwin Edwards

I would like to thank Shirley Anne Betts for taking the time to edit this essay.

Source Material:

Winnipeg Police sources only named by badge # Officer 1 Male 2789 Officer 2 Female 2365

The Meth Dealer's name is unknown. The Cannabis Dealer name will not be revealed.

https://www.ccsa.ca/sites/default/files/2019-04/CCSA-Canadian-Drug-Summary-Methamphetamine-2018-en.pdf

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/drug-crime-winnipeg-police-annual-report-1.4757778

https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/85-002-x/2019001/article/00013-eng.htm

https://www.ccsa.ca/sites/default/files/2019-05/CCSA-CCENDU-Stimulant-Use-Related-Harms-Bulletin-2019-en.pdf

https://www.ourcommons.ca/Content/Committee/421/HESA/Brief/BR10278440/br-external/AddictionsFoundationOfManitoba-e.pdf

http://afm.mb.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Winnipeg-2009-2012-CCENDU-Report.pdf

https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/rp-pr/jr/jf-pf/2017/july01.html